Regional Baseball Venue

I liked the venue. It is more intimate than the Diamond, which made for a better atomsphere. However, the lack of real restrooms is an issue. Those portables gotta go.

The ball really seemed to be carrying well yesterday with the heat and wind blowing out.

the stadium and playing surface were great. Things that made it less than awesome was the complete lack of any shade whatsoever and the bathroom issue. Also - $2 for a bottled water is a bit excessive - especially on a 90degree day - I spend $12 on water alone yesterday.

RF&P could get back in the picture now that the bat rules have made it more legitimate.

Overall it was ok but I am loading up on the Aloe today.

I really like the RMC stadium, however it may be on the small side to host Regionals. The gradnstand was full at the Cosby/Deep Run game and the foul lines packed a couple folks deep on both sides. I'm sure the players liked it because the field is nice and there is plenty of room to warm up outside the field itself. In addition, I thought the concessions were overpriced. Parking was an issue yesterday as well as the already mentioned port-o-john.

RFP is nice but too small.

With all its drawbacks, the Diamond is still the best place to host regionals IMHO. Ample parking, seating, and reasonably priced concessions. The Diamond has always been a special place, and I would think a high school baseball player would want to play at the Diamond most. JMO.

Enjoyed the RMC stadium itself, being close to the field was very nice. I'm sure the players liked it, but I have to believe they would much rather play at the diamond just for the experience.

Also, bought a 35-pack of deer park water at Sam's club for around $4.50...so a $70 return on $5 investment...not bad !

RF&P seems like a no brainer.

I don't think anyone would complain if there were 3-5 home runs hit in a game vs 0-1 per game. I know I wouldn't.

I didn't see a single "cheap" this year like in years past. I vote for RF&P!

Rich
www.playinschool.com

I thought RMC was a great venue for yesterday's event.

I disagree with going back to RF&P Park. The fences are too short. I did not see any meaningful change with the HRs this year with BBCOR bats. In addition, the short fence brings the OFs in where scoring from 2b on base hits would be very challenging.

Congrats to yesterday's winners.

I do agree with the "specialness" of playing at the Diamkond for kids from the Metro Area - they all really seem to like it. Plenty of shade out there- potential for night time play is a plus for larger crowds and more media coverage.

It is not a home field advantage for any team involved which I think is important.

Both RF&P and RMC are a serious hike for southsiders who year after year make up most of the teams still playing from here on out.

$2 for a bottle of water? What a bargain, we were paying $3.50 a bottle at ODU yesterday.

Dawg, you got beat down fella... I only paid $3.00 per bottle... let's see times 5 = Kellam math ???, umm, $15.00 ouch !! Once again, I shoulda listened to the Babe !

The prices yesterday at ODU were out of control. 2 gatorades and a hotdog $10.50!!!! I will eat before I leave for the ballpark wed. night. The baseball field was in great shape!! The baseball on the other hand not so much. Some really bad teams made the tourney this year.

quote:

Originally posted by driller:
Dawg, you got beat down fella... I only paid $3.00 per bottle... let's see times 5 = Kellam math ???, umm, $15.00 ouch !! Once again, I shoulda listened to the Babe !

Maybe they ran out of quarters for the late games.

Mid-Day sun at the Cosby/DR game was brutal with the silver seats reflecting the sun just right to get you properly cooked from all angles. Bathrooms were a non-issue as we sweated out all liquids that went in. The stopped train as we were on our way out was interesting too. Weather / heat aside it's a really nice venue.

What are the dimensions at RF&P? I only saw the 1 HR yesterday. Would any of the other deep hits carried at RF&P? Were there more HR's at the other games? Would there have been more robbed base hits with the shorter fences / less outfield at RF&P?

I thought RMC was nice. Though it's a bit to the north of the region, it actually was quite easy to get to. Actually I think I got there faster than I would typically get to RF&P from my house.

I like that "packed house" feeling that we got at times yesterday, similar to what I like so much about RF&P. If I thought we'd get 9,000 to show up Wednesday I'd vote for the Diamond, but it's destined to feel hollow and cavernous, not energetic at all. (Kind of like a Wake Forest game, with 1,500 fans packed into 6,000 seats.)

I agree that with the new bats, RF&P is small but not so much so that it's atypical for HS play. All in all I'd rather go there.

The problem I see is that kids hit what should be, in HS play, home runs that go for outs. For example, Brad McKay had 2 doubles and 4 RBI for Cosby yesterday, including his clutch 7th inning hit. The first double was a pure pop up that got lost in a "high sky" (not in the sun as reported, because the sun was not on that angle at that time). But the second double was probably a HR at nearly every HS park around. (For those who weren't there, you can see it on video on the VirginiaPreps.com site.) And, McKay also had a shot to the base of the CF wall earlier in the game that went for a loud out. That's 390', a bomb any other time. Tyler Fitzgerald led off the 7th with a shot to the wall in RCF, also caught, also clearly a HR on a HS field.

My point is, I think the venue changed the games some. High school games need to be played at high school dimensions.

Randolph Macon is a terrific venue for the tournament. Great atmosphere...Love that stadium for small college baseball.

I agree RMC's Stadium is a good venue for the games. The Diamond is great for the experience but it does feel a little cavernous with 1000 people in the stands. Also, some of the kids have told me the infield at the Diamond isn't the greatest.

Can the bigger fields set up a temporary outfield fence at high school dimensions like Sheppard Stadium used to do for the 12 yr old tournament?

The Diamond yesterday certainly did not have the atmosphere that RMC had on Monday.

I think Gunn's ball to the wall in the first inning vs Cosby is probably out at RMC (and most HS fields). That game would have been differently played if that happens......

Vaas' ball off Roberts is well out of most other parks, but I dont it impacted that outcome.

what about Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights? I did hear recently that it wasnt being maintained like it used to. At one time that was a great place to take in a game with a great atmosphere

I'll say it again, we need to see more games at RF&P.

I watched a Home Run Derby there tonight. 18u Triple Crown tourney is in town.

10 hitters in 1st round. 3 in 2nd round. 10 outs per round. Less then 15 total home runs.

If you are a local coach you should try to schedule some games there next year.

Regionals should be held there. No brainier.

Rich
www.playinschool.com

Nice article in today's RTD about RF&P. It is true what they say, the place makes a grand impression on visitors, and we may be guilty of taking it for granted.

The RTD did not discuss the problem of short fences. You'd think with the focus on the Triple Crown 18/17/16u events in town for three weeks, that might come up at least once in discussions.

It does make you wonder if they couldn't just move back the scoreboard and the light poles to accommodate deeper fences. I guess that's probably a lot of money. Sigh.

I thought I heard one time that they are backed up to a wetlands beyond the center field wall. So they really can't build on it.

But its irrelevant because with the new bats it is not too small. Dead center field has 40 ft wall.

I for one would love to see a game with some offense next year. Seemed like every game I went to was a 3-2 game. Maybe I just picked only games with great pitchers.

Oh, and in this weeks Triple Crown HR Derby, I heard like 1 guy went yard. Wasn't there so can't confirm.

Rich
www.playinschool.com

In my opinion, cavernous fields like the Diamond or a college field are just as bad (or worse) than fences that are too short. RF&P is much more similar in size to most high school fields than either of the others. With the new bats, I agree with PIS...RF&P is virtually a no brainer.